The welfare of households in South Oral has reportedly taken a turn for the worse.
South Ural Families Struggle with Reduced Disposable Income in 2024, According to RIA Novosti's Family Well-being Ranking
In a report published by RIA Novosti, South Ural families were found to have less disposable income in 2024 compared to the previous year. The ranking was calculated by adding the net median salaries of two workers and subtracting the regional minimum living standards, taking into account family categories and adjusting for the regional consumer basket.
Experts note that minimum family expenses often exceed the minimum living standard as official statistics fail to account for all family-specific costs. However, they cannot be lower. Therefore, the calculated remaining funds represent the maximum potential and may not always be achievable for an average family.
On average, a Russian family with two working parents, earning median salaries, and two children, could have a potential remaining balance of 37,700 rubles after minimum necessary expenses in 2024. Only 20 regions in Russia had a higher remaining balance. The Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug topped the list with 125,200 rubles, followed by the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug with 86,900 rubles.
The Chelyabinsk Oblast ranks near the bottom of the Ural Federal District, with a remaining balance of 37,200 rubles for a family with two children (55,050 rubles with one child). The region is only outperformed by the Kurgan Oblast, which ranked 56th with 20,900 rubles and 39,040 rubles, respectively.
Compared to 2023, the South Ural's remaining balance decreased by 9,000 rubles for a family with two children and 7,750 rubles for a family with one child. Despite this decline, the South Ural region rose from 27th to 22nd place in the ranking.
The Tyumen Oblast comfortably outperforms the Chelyabinsk Oblast, with a remaining balance of 41,100 rubles for a family with two children (60,200 rubles with one child), placing it 18th in the ranking. Sverdlovsk residents occupy 21st place with a remaining balance of 38,100 rubles and 55,600 rubles for families with two and one child, respectively.
In terms of economic conditions, healthcare access and quality, social infrastructure, environmental factors, and demographic trends, Chelyabinsk Region may face systemic challenges contributing to its low ranking in family well-being among the Ural Federal District regions. Despite local initiatives to support children and families, such as improving hospital environments, these broader challenges appear to persist.
- The struggle with reduced disposable income for South Ural families in 2024, as per RIA Novosti's Family Well-being Ranking, can be partially attributed to the costs of business and personal-finance that often exceed the minimum living standards, not fully accounted for in official statistics.
- The decline in the remaining balance for families in the South Ural region, from 2023 to 2024, could potentially impact various aspects of their lives, including personal-finance decisions, and may be influenced by political and general-news factors that affect the local economy.
- As the Chelyabinsk Oblast ranks near the bottom of the Ural Federal District in terms of family well-being, policymakers might consider addressing systemic challenges such as business and economic factors, healthcare access, social infrastructure, environmental issues, and demographic trends to improve the region's standing and the well-being of its families.
